Routledge Peacebuilding and NGOs: State-Civil Society Interactions (Routledge Studies in Peace and Conflict Resolution)

Analysing the relationship between civil society and the state, this book lays bare the assumptions informing peacebuilding practices and demonstrates through empirical research how such practices have led to new dynamics of conflict. The drive to establish a sustainable liberal peace largely escapes critical examination. When such attention is paid to peacebuilding practices, scholars tend to concentrate either on the military components of the mission or on the liberal economic reforms. This means that the roles of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and the impact of attempting to nurture Northern forms of civil society is often overlooked. Focusing on the case of Cambodia, this book seeks to examine the assumptions underlying peacebuilding policies in order to highlight the reliance on a particular, linear reading of European / North American history. The author argues that such policies, in fostering a particular form of civil society, have affected patterns of conflict; dictating when and where politics can occur and who is empowered to participate in such practices. Drawing on interviews with NGO representatives and government representatives, this volume will assert that while the expansion of civil society may resolve some sources of conflict, its introduction has also created new dynamics of contestation. This book will be of much interest to students of peacebuilding, conflict resolution, development studies, S.E. Asian politics, and IR in general. Review "One of the most interesting studies on civil society, the role of NGOs, and peacebuilding published recently, it has much to recommend it." - Oliver Richmond, University of Manchester, UK "In approaching the logic of peacebuilding from the perspective of Critical Security Studies, this book bridges a gap in the literature... This book is recommended for all those studying and working in peacebuilding." - Courtney Hercus, Macquarie University, Australia About the Author Ryerson Christie is a Lecturer at the University of Bristol, UK. He has a Phd in Politics from York University, Canada.